A Look at the European Union – Part 1 of 3
Staff Writer - September 11, 2005
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The New York Times travel section rhetorically asked this question recently, referring to what the journalist defined "the calf of Italy’s boot", or the Marche region of Italy, located about halfway down the Adriatic coast. The area is known mainly for its agriculture, especially vineyards and wheat fields, but offers secluded beaches and historic medieval hill towns as well.
"A vanishing Italy still exists among the hill towns of Le Marche," rightly reads the article. The fact is that in this region, as well as in other Italian areas that have been kept out of the tourist circuit, they still live according to an Italian lifestyle that is increasingly disappearing elsewhere. The reason for the changing in other regions lies partly in the massive immigration to Europe from Africa, the Middle and Far East and the former Communist countries, and in part is the cultural side effect of the wealth brought by tourism.
The Marche Region is one of those European places where the visitor can still enjoy traditional cuisine, washed down with delicious, little known or unheard of, local wines. This can be done while taking a break from the cultural discovery of ancient European Medieval and Renaissance cities. In such places one feels a sense of discovery and won't cross paths with flocks of camera-wielding tourists feasting on watered-down cuisine. After all, aren't these the main reasons why people from all over the world travel to Italy and Europe? Certainly they do so to enjoy the art and culture of the Old World, but the charm of this part of the world lies just as much in its delicious traditional foods and wines.
So, now the well-kept Marche secret is not a secret anymore, at least not for the New York Times readers, and now for WineCountry.IT users as well. As the Marche region prepare for the increase in tourism, it can be singled out as an example of something that is going on all across the European Union. Villages, towns, cities, and whole countries struggle to save their traditions and cultural identities in a world that appears to get smaller by the day.
The attempt to protect the geographical indications of Europe's most famous products, in a time of high demand and disappearing borders is part of this struggle.
Europe is also in the process of drafting a constitution upon which all the countries involved with hopefully agree, from the historic founding countries to the more recent EU member nations. At the same time, Europe is facing another, more or less unexpected development: the fact that Europeans are fast changing their lifestyle and consumption of certain traditional foods is diminishing. Traditionalists at one end and lovers of variety and quality at the dinner table at the other, are struggling together to save local cultural identities and traditions.
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